


Out of the Rolling Ocean

by JazzBFabulous



Category: Pirates of the Caribbean (Movies)
Genre: A whole lot of original characters, F/M, Feminist Themes, Movie: Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, Period Typical Attitudes, Pining, Romance, Virginia Wright is pretty awesome, adventure on the ocean, there might be sex later, they're everywhere
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-30
Updated: 2017-03-21
Packaged: 2018-09-13 12:48:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9124342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JazzBFabulous/pseuds/JazzBFabulous
Summary: Virginia Wright was born to wealthy parents and is a frequent to elite parties. She knows of James Norrington, but honestly who doesn't? He's become big talk in the Caribbean colonies. Sure Virginia thinks he's attractive, but she doesn't want him until she finds out about him wanting to propose to Elizabeth Swann.She knows that she needs him to be hers then.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, y'all!  
> This is my first time writing Pirates fanfic, but I do think that my muse led me well on this.  
> The summary sucks, so I'm glad you made it at all!
> 
> Hope you enjoy, Peach!
> 
> Un-Beta'ed

_ Out of the rolling ocean, the crowd, came a drop gently to me, _

_ Whispering, I love you, before long I die, _

_ I have travel'd a long way, merely to look on you, to touch you, _

_ For I could not die till I once look'd on you, _

_ For I fear'd I might afterward lose you. _

  


_ Now we have met, we have look'd, we are safe; _

_ Return in peace to the ocean, my love; _

_ I too am part of that ocean, my love--we are not so much separated; _

_ Behold the great rondure--the cohesion of all, how perfect! _

_ But as for me, for you, the irresistible sea is to separate us,  _

_ As for an hour, carrying us diverse--yet cannot carry us diverse for _

_ ever; _

_ Be not impatient--a little space--Know you, I salute the air, the _

_ ocean and the land, _

_ Every day, at sundown, for your dear sake, my love. _

  


_ -Walt Whitman  _

* * *

  


Virginia Adeline Wright was born to a wealthy English father and a well of Spanish mother. The Wright family lived and worked in one of the many colonies across the Caribbean. She had known privilege from her first breath. She spent almost every day of her childhood playing in the lush garden her mother kept on their expansive plantation. The Wright family was rich in their sugar and quite progressive all around. Yesenia Wright, Virginia’s mother, had been against them owning slaves to man their plantation, so instead of slaves, they had a lot of hired farm hands that were from the area. Their workforce consisted of islanders and freemen who had managed to avoid becoming enslaved. 

  


Laurence and Yesenia met on one of Laurence’s many trips to Spain. Anytime Laurence is throwing a dinner party, having a meeting with other plantation owners, or just picking up something from the trade, he always takes time to tell the story of how he and his wife met. 

  


Laurence Wright met Yesenia Alvarado during one of the many trips to Spain he took as a young man. They were both attending a large gala put on by someone of distant relation to the Spanish royal family. Yesenia dazzled the room, shiny black hair in a well styled updo, and she wore a lovely ball gown-all lace, ribbons, satin and a large skirt. Laurence tells everyone that she is the prettiest woman he’s ever seen. He was quick to chat her up at this large party. Laurence knew enough Spanish to make small-talk and be able to flirt. They spent most of the night dancing, and, after a little bit of wooing, Laurence convinced Yesenia to move to London with him. Yesenia quickly learned English during her few years in London before the two of them went off to work in the British colonies. Since Laurence stayed busy occupying himself with the business of the plantation, it was Yesenia that spent the most time with their daughter. She had wanted a child more than anything for as long as she could remember. It was Laurence that insist that they wait until they were steady in their professions first. 

  


Laurence and Yesenia had tried for a child for almost a decade to have a child when they were graced with Virginia. Everyone they knew had at least four kids, but these plantation owners seemed more than content to just have one little girl. Virginia was sure that they wished for more, but she knew that she was enough trouble on her own to be worth three or four kids. She spent the first four years of her life being very sickly. She ended up with bronchitis at least once a year and would come down with a fever pretty often. Thanks to the care of her mother and Miss Lori, the estate’s nurse, Virginia managed to make it out of each illness with only a few minor health problems. Her heart was what had suffered the most from the fever. It would often beat erratically and she would have to stop what she was doing for a moment to allow it to settle if she was doing something that would be strenuous. She made up for the first four years of being bedridden with her spunk and attitude she carried from then on. If there was a mess to get into, Virginia would find a way to. She would come back with her fine clothing torn and dirtied at least once a week. She’d return from her adventures around the island and would be firmly scolded. 

  


“Virginia Adeline, you know that it is far too dangerous for you to be out like that. What if someone were to rob you? It’s not safe for your heart to be out playing so roughly and do you know how expensive your clothing is? You ruin a dress once a week! We should just have our dressmakers stop making you dresses. Maybe you’d learn then.” Her mother would say. Yesenia would banish young Virginia to her room anytime she misbehaved. When her father would finish up the work he needed to do for the plantation, he would come into her bedroom and sit by her bed and say:

  


“Don’t worry over it, my little rose. You’re too much like me, I’m afraid. Adventure to your heart’s content...but really do stop tarnishing your dresses.” Virginia would nod and give her father a kiss on the cheek before going to sleep. Laurence always looked at her so proudly and so fondly in moments like this. He continued to be proud of his daughter through every step in her life. She was smart and the personification of class. While she could be the perfect lady, she also had a strong snarky streak. He encouraged her attendance at any major event for the elites of the colonies. She took to these parties naturally and has dazzled every room she’s been in since she was 6 years old. She wouldn’t be able to count how many parties she would attend through the next several years. She went to some event involving one of the port towns to catch up with the social business of the area. She knew there would be a party after. 

  
  


Virginia was one of the many girls lined up as the men in red coats marched in using flawless military precision. She honestly had no interest in this event, but her mother had insisted she go to interact with the other people of status of this island. She sat fanning herself absentmindedly. She was absolutely roasting in the mountain of lace and satin that was the skirt of her dress. The dress was well made-as beautiful as it was expensive. Virginia had bought the dress using the money she had made off of a few of her enlightenment works. 

  


She had published a book of poems originally, followed by a few different essay collections on how people should live their best and analysis of thought. Her writing voice was lyrical yet concise. The only issue she found in writing was that she wasn’t exactly allowed to. She had sent her poem collection to her father and he told her it would never be published. 

  


“Why wouldn’t it?” She had asked him in a loud voice, frustrated. 

“You’re a woman, Virginia. Women aren’t to be writing and publishing in our society. These are beautiful, but you’ll never get them published.” Lawrence had told her, shaking his head. He hated seeing his daughter’s ambitions crushed by the way that society viewed women. Unknown to him, Virginia Wright had hatched a wonderful idea. If all it took to get her works read was to be a man, than she could handle that. She went into town and gave her poems to their local printing press.

  


“Miss Wright, who are you getting these printed for?” The man working in the front had asked her. 

“Oh, they’re my brother’s.” She says with a friendly grin, almost cocky if the right person was looking. The man scanned the first page in front of him before finding the name written boldly on the cover page. 

“Crawford Wright?”

“Yes, sir. He wants about 100 copies. I’ll be delivering them to the shops when they’re ready. G’day, sir.” Virginia had said before paying and practically skipping out of the store. This little trick caused her no problems and she went through a similar process every time she published. Her papers sold out every time she ed from it. had them printed. She eventually sent them out to the other colonies in the Americas. Virginia did run into some issues when people wanted to meet the author of her works. Her father and mother were there to assist with that. They’d tell anyone asking about Crawford that he was out finding more trade routes throughout the Atlantic. Virginia got to keep every piece of gold that she earned from these papers and would always smile excitedly whenever someone would praise the works of “Crawford Wright”. It certainly made her feel powerful. 

  


She had no idea why it was in fashion to wear such long, heavy dresses. They looked nice, and while they were fine for the elite in England, the Caribbean was way too hot and humid for them. This area was a bit cooler than the plantation thanks to the cool breeze from the sea. Despite the humid warm weather, Virginia was definitely looking her best. She was wearing eyeliner, rouge, and the best petal pink lip tint she could find. Her hair was done in an updo, most of her curls being tamed by the style. The coal around her eyes did make the hazel color stand out. She was loving the new corset she had bought as well. It made her waist just a bit more slender and made her breasts seem just a little larger. She did think it would be a shame to come out looking this perfect for nothing. She had to get to mingling soon. 

  


Virginia could see Elizabeth Swann sitting in the front row, sweating over James Norrington it seemed. It was either that or she was struggling to breathe in her corset. Even Virginia got a little breathless whenever she laid eyes on James Norrington. She fantasized on seeing what he looked like without that stuffy, powdered wig. She had to stifle her giggles when as Elizabeth continues to distress. Virginia wondered why the governor's daughter of all people would be faltering so much. She didn’t think Elizabeth needed that tight of a corset anyways. With the corset on she was almost unnaturally thin. She didn’t understand why she was as thin as she was considering how rich she was. It was very uncommon to see anyone of such high status without some amount of curve to them. 

  


Virginia was delighted when she finally got to talk with someone. She stood with the other finely dressed women and men at the large fort of the colony, adjusting her hair so it was placed better beneath her hat. She enjoyed some small talk with the people there, catching up on the gossip of the entirety of the island colonies. She knew just the right people to talk to, and most of the people there were very eager to speak with her as well. She was always communicating all sorts of secrets from the richest people she knew. When James Norrington walks into the room, she sees him look at her, brow furrowed as though he was studying her image. Virginia flashes him one of her signature, slightly crooked smiles and he gives her one right back, looking just the slightest bit worried as he had noticed that she caught him staring. She’s happy that the rouge on her cheeks hide the actual red that’s crawling up from her neck to her cheeks. 

  


She’s halfway across the bricks that separate them before Commodore Norrington catches sight of the Governor’s daughter. He leads her over to the edge of the high walls of the fort and Virginia feels her heart drop. She cursed herself for feeling anything at all really. She knew that she had only ever really had a handful of conversations with James Norrington, but what her mind had made of him had been enough for her to long for him. Any time she imagined being married it was always James. This was, of course, the truth for other aspects of adulthood. She imagined he would be adoring and doting with her and that he would encourage her writing and learning. Virginia’s imagination, in this case, had done much more harm than good. She knew good and well that Norrington was interested in marrying Elizabeth. She had heard enough rumors from the wives of the men working for him to know that it was more than a rumor. 

  


“You must’ve heard that Commodore Norrington is going to propose to Elizabeth Swann, right?” Elinor Rose from one of the Northern colonies had told her. 

  


“Elizabeth is so lucky to be marrying Commodore Norrington.” She’d heard from Abigail Beringer who’d just sailed to this colony with her husband. Like she even knew anything about them! 

By the end of the evening, it was easy to say that Virginia Wright was sick of hearing about Elizabeth Swann and James Norrington. She placed her fan in the sleeve of her dress as she watched Norrington chat with Elizabeth. She had grown irritated with this and turned around to speak with one of the girls at the party. After just a few words she was interrupted by a loud splash and James crying out for Elizabeth. Virginia rushed towards the edge of the fort wall and gasped when she saw the governor’s daughter sinking into the ocean. She had no idea what to do, so she rolled up her sleeves and got ready to dive over the edge to go rescue her. James grabbed her arm and pulled her back from the edge towards him, a hand resting on her shoulder. 

  


“Miss Wright, don’t you dare. I don’t want to have to rescue two women from drowning at once.” He tells her, giving her a shining grin before quickly turning and running off to gather his men. Virginia lets go of a breath she didn’t realize she was holding when she he leaves. She realized almost instantly that she had almost drowned herself. Virginia was wearing too much clothing and jewelry to survive jumping into the ocean. She takes her fan out and starts rapidly fanning air onto her face as her heart beat rapidly. Had she really been so stupid as to almost jump into the rolling ocean? She hadn’t been thinking. That was the only explanation for that foolishness. She replayed the moment in her mind over and over, closing her eyes and trying to see it from not only her view. She thought through several different meanings behind what James had done. Did he stop her for his own convenience or did he want to keep her alive because he felt something for her? If he was most concerned with Elizabeth’s life, Virginia thinks that he might have let her go. She dismissed the idea that him not letting her drown was because he cared for her. He surely didn’t wish her dead. Anyone who knew her would likely do the same thing. 

  


Virginia heard that when James got down to the sea, some pirate had already taken Elizabeth from the water. Her rescue was followed by many men in red coats chasing after a drunk pirate throughout most of the town. They ended up capturing him in the local blacksmith’s shop. Virginia supposed that Elizabeth was lucky to have been taken hostage by the pirate since he had saved her from drowning in the ocean. 

  


As Virginia laid in the bed she was staying in for the night, she still replayed the events of the day. The stresses of the day made her wish she was at home, but she couldn’t get any transportation to take her back to the plantation that night so she was rooming with one of her well-to-do friends. While Abigail was nice and all, she didn’t really feel like she knew her that well. Virginia knew that her status was what got her the bed for the night. Abigail awas desperate to make upper class friends, and Virginia was definitely high up. She rolled onto her side in an attempt to get comfortable and allow the day to leave her mind. Virginia does eventually go to sleep.

* * *

_ Now we have met, we have look’d _  


  
  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with this story again. As of recently, I've felt a lot of inspiration in regards to this story and in writing generally. 
> 
> I know you've waited a while on it, but here it is, Peach!
> 
> This is un-beta'd so forgive some errors. 
> 
> Enjoy!

* * *

 

 

Virginia awoke suddenly during the late hours of the night to the smell of burning wood and gunpowder and the sound of screaming and disarray. She popped up from her bed quick, stumbling as quickly to her slippers as possible. She tried hard to think through the fog the smoke had created in her mind from the lack of oxygen. She quickly snatched her cloak from the chair that hadn’t yet been touched. The rug had quickly been bathed in the flame coming from the other part of the home. Her mind worked tiredly to figure out how to escape the port side house. She spotted the window in the end of the room. Her mind seemed to work slower and slower as she looked back and forth between the flame covered rug and the fire engulfed the room 

 

She held her cloak balled up close to her form and jumped for the window. There was the smallest bit of floor remaining safe from the starving fire. Virginia gripped the sill hard with one hand as the flames whipped at the back of her heel and calf and furiously worked with the window lock. She found herself panting and instantly cursed herself for allowing herself to breathe in more of the harmful smoke. After a second of glancing at the lock, she dismisses the idea of trying to unlock it entirely. She grabs the half burning chair and shoves as hard as she can against the glass of the window. The glass shatters and she hurriedly climbs through the hole she created. She landed on her knees outside, adrenaline pouring through her as she stumbles to her feet. She cobblestone tears the white fabric of her silk nightgown. She could feel just an inch of pain from the burns on the backs of her legs.

 

Virginia pulled her cloak on over her shoulders, shielding her mostly bare shoulders from the cool night air. She could see now the source of the fire and destruction: pirates. She knew that she had to get herself somewhere fast. There was no way she could make it through the town to head back towards her home without running into any murderous pirates. There was no way that any of them would let her slip past if they saw her. She was much too elite to manage escape. She found peaked down the block and looked the opposite way towards the sea. She moved quick towards the edge of where the cobblestone cliffed a thin strip of white sand beach. She jumped over the edge and landed on sand cooled from being spared of the heat of the sun for a few hours. Virginia knew that few people would walk along this sand and it was thankfully almost as far as you could be from the port while still being on the coastline belonging to the town.

 

She tried hard to calm herself as she sat down with her back pressed against the bumpy cobblestone wall. Her breath was rapid but shallow, still having a bit of trouble getting air because of all the smoke she’d inhaled. Virginia was truly regretting having come to that event the day before. What if someone found her? The screams and yells from the town were proof enough that her dying was a very real possibility.

 

She was torn from her thoughts when she noticed something moving on the strip of sand, down towards the right. She looked straight at it and noticed it was James Norrington, running and very closer to her. He must be trying to get things fixed, but what was he doing all alone? She gets to her feet and grabs his wrist just as he’s about to pass her.

“James, what on earth is happening?” She asks, way louder and fearful than intended. He matches the grip on his own wrist on hers and pulls her back down onto the sand while lowering into a crouch. Virginia hissed with the pain to her burnt ankles.

 

“You must stay low, Virginia, and could you please keep your voice down?” Commodore Norrington whispered harshly to her. She gave him a pointed glare in response. Who did he think he was, using a tone like that on her? Though, Virginia though that perhaps it would be best for them to blend in as much as possible. Her expression softened upon this realization.

 

“I’m sorry. I’ve just had an awful night. I woke up and the house I was staying in was on fire. Everything’s still a bit foggy and I’ve got some nasty burns on my ankles.” She tells him quietly, shifting her feet to show him the marks she’d gained.

 

“Gramercy, Ginny, that looks awful….” He had whispered. Virginia almost wanted to punch him had he not looked so concern. She couldn’t stand when he, or anyone really, used that ridiculous nickname for her. She sees something flicker in his expression, though she’s not quite sure what it is. She watches him as he tears his sleeve apart, managing to get two long strips from it. Virginia would have stopped him had she known that was his plan.

“Before you protest, I cannot let you sit out on the sand with open burns...The feel of the sand must be torturous. I do not have any sort of salve with me, but I suppose that this will have to do.” He says softly as his long fingers make quick and gentle work of covering the burns on the back of her heals with the strips of fabric. He made sure to tie them securely but made sure they weren’t too tight. Virginia watches with a gentle curiosity that prevented her admiration to show on her face. There was something so incredible about him doing this for her. She was positive that there were important things he must be doing considering him being the Commodore and all.

He slowly moves to stand in order to avoid bringing attention to their location.

“I must hurry to the governor's house. Stay low and hidden, ok? If anyone comes near you use this.” He tosses down a long sharp knife onto the sand in his rush to leave.

“If something’s happened to Elizabeth…” He says worriedly before continuing on the path he had originally taken.

 

Virginia was incredibly confused by every action James Norrington had done that night. Why hadn’t he gone straight to Elizabeth if he was so worried about her? Why hadn’t he gone straight to his men to begin subduing the pirates? Why did he even stop if there was such urgency?

 

She glanced down at her now bandaged ankles and slowly rubbed the ends of the fabric between her fingers. She glances at the knife he had thrown on the ground for her to use. Virginia hoped that she wouldn’t have to use it. She figured she’d stay safe as long as she was down and out of the way. As she pulled her knees up and held her legs close, she replays her interaction with James over and over again, trying to find something telling in his actions, words, or expressions.

 

Why couldn’t she figure him out? Virginia desperately wanted to know if he felt the same pull to her that she felt towards him. She didn’t think too much of it, but she knew that she wanted to be close to him and she wanted to play around with the idea of them courting. Had Virginia been in her right mind she would have cursed herself for thinking such thoughts about a man who was certainly pining for someone else, but she also knew that it was something she couldn’t stop. He had too long been the man she dreamed about, and to her there was no going back now.

 

She was brought from her thoughts when she saw something moving in the ocean. She could spot the pirates’ ship! The vessel seemed dark and there was something unspeakably evil about the way it shone in the bright Caribbean moonlight. Virginia knew the pirates had to have been gone now if their ship had sailed, still, she gripped the handle of the knife James had given her earlier that night. She slowly stood, and sure enough, the only people she saw were the still panicking villagers amidst the still burning town. She sat her knife on the ledge of the short cobblestone wall while grabbing two other spots on the cliff and hoisting herself up over the wall as best as she could. She pulled her cloak close around her now that there were people out. It would be quite the scandal if someone saw her dressed in just her nightgown even in the chaos that was taking over the town currently. She picked the knife up and stuffed it into her cloak pocket.

 

Virginia then realized that she had came out of her hiding spot without the slightest idea of what her next plan was. She knew she needed somewhere to be for the night, but she had no idea where she’d even go. So many buildings were currently on fire. She couldn’t just stay on the beach until sunrise. She went the only place that she knew that she could at this time; Elizabeth Swann’s home. Being on the other end of town, it was possible that the governor’s mansion was still standing. She had to go.

 

Despite how well wrapped her burns were, she still felt pain as she walked quickly through the cobblestone streets. Virginia tried not to be distracted by the chaos around her. There was nothing she could do to help these people, and she couldn’t possibly stop the fires from burning. After walking about half a mile, Virginia felt it was hard for her lungs to expand, sending her into a coughing fit. She kept on walking though, hoping to get further from the smoke and the flames, but the further she went, the bigger the flames seemed to be.

 

Virginia noticed in the distance a figure in the glowing orange fog of smoke. Even as they got closer, she was having a hard time making out their distinct features. She couldn’t tell if this was from the smoke obscuring her vision or if it was from the lack of oxygen from her struggling to breath. She reached for the knife in her pocket, not knowing whether this strange figure was friend or foe.

 

“Let me get you out of here, miss Wright.” The man says in a smooth baritone that resonated within her. Virginia was sure she had heard that voice before. She lets go of the knife handle and steps closer, and the mystery man outstretches his hand towards her, and she takes it. He gives her hand a squeeze and begins to lead her down a street towards the East--towards the coast.

“Stop… Where are we going…?” Virginia asks him slowly, finding herself leaning a good amount of her wait on him.

“I’m taking you home, Virginia. We will get on my horse and I’ll get us there.” The man tells her again, and for some reason she believes him. It was too hard to question with her current state. With her arm wrapped around his wide shoulders, he manages to get her to his horse. Virginia felt herself teetering on the edge of consciousness, ears popping so even the sound of the rolling ocean is blunted. Her fogged vision’s developing spots, but she’s still trying very hard to stay in control of things. If the waves of nausea weren’t hard enough to fight through, the feelings of fear were just as bad.

“I-”She begins, but before she can say anything relatively coherent, she becomes a lifeless weight and he has to move fast to catch her when she begins to fall.

James Norrington looks down at her once he’s noticed what’s happened.

 

“Couldn’t wait 'til I was on the horse, Virginia?” He says with a groan, picking her up into his arms and manages to get them both onto his horse, who fussed with the amount of smoke in the air and with the unfamiliar weight. With the arm that wasn’t supporting Virginia’s back, he gave his horse a few sympathetic pats.

 

“I know, pal, it’s won’t be too far.” James tells his horse in a reassuring voice, before picking up the reins with one of his hands and initiating their ride towards her plantation home. He took them around the town the far way, just so that the smoke would be diluted with the cool wind from the sea. He leaned her so her side rested on her front. James looked to her chest, checking to make sure she was breathing, and there was thankfully a soft rise and fall to her breast. He gave a soft sigh of relief. He rode quietly with Virginia close to him through the 40 minute horse ride to her family’s plantation.

 

* * *

 

James halted his horse when they were close to the porch of the large house. He very carefully dismounts the horse, being sure not to drop Virginia in the process. He carries her bridal style in his arms up the stairs to the porch and through the lovely glass doors. When he managed to get himself in, he realized he hadn’t the slightest idea where her bedroom even was within the spacious mansion. He settled with laying her down on the daybed in the sitting room by one of the many large windows. He was gentle with her as he maneuvered her so he could retrieve his knife from his pocket and remove her cloak so she was just in her nightgown.

 

Even now she was the flawless picture of beauty, from the way her long hair fell about her shoulders and the soft expression on her face to the way her nightgown displayed the outlines of her form in the moonlight pooling in from the window.

James grabbed the quilt that was spread across the back of one of the sitting chairs and laid it gently across her body. He pressed the softest, briefest kiss to her forehead, whispering softly to her,“Goodnight, Virginia” before leaving to return to his own house for the night.

 

* * *

 

_For your dear sake, my love_

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave kudos and subscribe!


End file.
